Linder says that when he confronted the district attorney with the cell records, the prosecutor decided to drop the case because the phone calls "looked bad." The Collin County District Attorney's Office declined comment.

It is not clear what sort of relationship, if any, Sarah Boswell had with any of the four officers named in the lawsuit, although her ex-husband says she and Officer Michael Nunns, who is named in the suit, have been friends since high school. A source close to Sarah Boswell says that Boswell had called Plano police several times even before the couple separated because her husband had "severe alcohol problems and she was worried for his safety and the safety of their two daughters.

Boswell maintains that he does not have a drug or alcohol problem, although he was arrested in Waco in 2003 for a DWI charge (it was subsequently reduced to a reckless driving charge, a Class B misdemeanor).

JOSHUA MAYDON

Tray Boswell and attorney Don Tittle, who has filed a federal suit against four Plano police officers.

Linder says this isn't the issue. The question, he says, is whether citizens should have the cell phone numbers of police officers on speed dial to carry out personal vendettas.

"Police officers have a hard job. My dad was in law enforcement. I was in law enforcement briefly. I know how hard it is," Linder says. "However, if they are going to abuse their power for the personal benefit of friends or acquaintances they should be prosecuted, not just sued, prosecuted for violating trust of citizens."